Chapter 1: The Supernatural World

Magic, it is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people.

The first verifiable record dates back to AD 1999.

The incident, in which police officers possessing special powers stopped a nuclear act of terror carried out by a fanatic group in order to fulfill the prophecy of destroying humanity, became the first verifiable case of magic in modern times.

Initially, that unusual ability was termed 'Supernatural Power'. An ability that was present in a person as a result of a purely inherent, sudden mutation, whose systematization as a technology which could be spread among the masses was thought to be an impossible thing.

That was an erroneous notion.

Through the research of 'Supernatural Power' by both the influential Eastern and Western nations, the existence of people who were imparted 'Magic' was gradually made public. It became possible to reproduce 'Supernatural Power' through "Magic".

Of course, talent is required to do that. However, only those who are blessed with a high aptitude can attain a mastery that can put them at a professional level, much like those who possess ability in the fine arts or sciences.

Supernatural power became a technology systematized through magic, while magic became a technical skill. A 'Supernatural Power User' became a "Magic Technician".

Skilled Magic Technicians, capable of suppressing even nuclear weapons, are powerful weapons to a country.

At the end of the 21st century in the year 2095, the various nations of the world, which are far from unified, locked in a race to nurture Magic Technicians.

Or that's how it is believed to be.

The supernatural world went beyond simple human comprehension. Humans believe what they want to believe and understand what they want to understand. In the end, 'magic' as they knew it is only a fraction of the true face of the supernatural world.

Not even the darkest magician families of the current age knew of what it means to face the supernatural world, and many would be happy to never know it. After all, it is filled with all kinds of horror that should just stay in fictions.

-Siberia-

Explosion rocked the entire land of Siberia, causing avalanche to happen. The skies are filled with hundreds of magic sequence that shoots powerful beam at one certain point. With each ten sequence that finished its job, ten more replace it in a barrage of endless beams of destruction.

"Muspelheim Nova!"

A white haired magician wearing a white robe called out one of his stronger spell. The temperature instantly rises and caused a conflagration that ended up creating a massive explosion that is almost as large as an atomic bomb, scorching the very land itself. It is an upgraded nearly strategic-class version of the Muspelheim spell. Its power could've leveled a small army instantly. But the white haired magician is not confident that everything is over.

[The target is still not down!]

The white haired magician heard from his earpiece. He clicked his tongue but he knew that their opponent is an existence that would not go down so easily. After all, a dragon is never an easy opponent, especially in the present age.

The white haired magician is Merlin Ambrosius. If he were to be honest, he is the second most powerful magician in the whole world. With his experience that spans thirteen centuries, it is not very surprising. Yes, he is THE Merlin from the tale of King Arthur.

The smoke from the explosion suddenly cleared. But nothing emerged from it… if seen using the naked eye. Even special eyes wouldn't be able to see anything concrete. But those with crystal eyes would see a gigantic wispy figure emerging from the smoke. The more powerful their eye is, the clearer they can see the outline. But they can never truly see it.

But Merlin can.

Seeing through the information dimension, a power called Elemental Sight, Merlin could clearly see the monster that had survived one of his stronger magic. The protruding horns and its large jaws, its mighty wings and sharp claws, the impenetrable scales and long tail, what Merlin is fighting is the very definition of what is known as a Dragon, one of the strongest creature in the Supernatural hierarchy. It is up there with the beings known as Gods.

This is the true face of the supernatural world.

Monsters like these used to roam the world and prey upon mankind. But several thousand years ago, during the end of the Age of Gods, one powerful man with blessing from God and the power of seventy two demons, decided to separate the supernatural and human world.

His action separated the world into two. One is the world as everyone knew it, and the other is called the Moonlit World, the world where monsters, dragons, gods, and other fantastic creatures live. For millenniums the two worlds prosper without interference from each other.

But it all changed in 1999 when a rift opened between the two worlds right on the same day as the emergence of Modern Magic. The cause itself is unknown and even they don't know about it. But supernatural threat began to appear again after thousands of years.

Modern Magic is not equipped properly to face such creatures. Modern Magic is based on science, logical methods that rely on equations. Against opponents that are illogical, only the highest rank spells from the Modern Magic system could work. But that is against the general supernatural denizens. Against a dragon such as this, not even a strategic-class magic or two can put it down permanently. Injure it perhaps but it will take more to permanently bring it down.

"Ahaha… Sarah, I think I will need help here."

Merlin chuckled weakly as he evaded the dragon's charge. The dragon then turns around mid-air and release a powerful breath attack. Using Data Fortification, Merlin managed to hold out until he got out from the dragon's range. But even Merlin's defense that could easily block even A-rank lethal spells like it was nothing cannot fully defend him from the dragon's attack as part of his robe was burned along with several other places that has weaker defense.

"Well this is bad."

[Don't worry, backup is coming.]

"Nah, I can take care of this myself. I just need some more time. I should probably use Excalibur."

[You should've used it earlier.]

"Well, I didn't expect it to be so powerful. Usually I could beat a dragon by weakening its defenses before finishing it off with a big one."

[Merlin, Dragons and Wyrms are different. As powerful as those Wyrms are, not even twenty of them could hold a candle to a real dragon.]

"Ahh sorry, it's just that it's been centuries since I last faced a dragon. The remnants and these guys are really different."

[Well go all out then!]

"Hai hai, I learned my lesson. Well then, shall we… ohh, wait, he's here."

Merlin who was about to go all out against the Dragon stopped when he detected a new magician entering the battlefield. It is a familiar presence, one that he can call as the only magician under the heaven that is superior to him.

"You took too long."

The new magician suddenly appear right in front of the legendary magus of the Round Table. He has tanned skin and white hair tied in a braid. His robe is even more sophisticated than Merlin's and fit for royalty. On each of his finger are ten rings as legendary as Excalibur. This magician is the one dubbed as the King of Magic and the strongest magician under the Heaven, Solomon, the King of Magic.

"Sorry Solo-san, I underestimated the dragon and stick to using Modern Magic."

"You know that Modern Magic is weak against phantasmal species. Modern Magic is a system strictly made for humans and best used against humans."

"Right, well, I won't make that mistake again if I face another opponent of this dragon's caliber."

"Make sure you do. It won't be funny if you were killed because you underestimate your enemy. But still, the dragon had been sufficiently weakened. Let's finish this in one move."

"Let's finish this before Tama-chan gets angry."

Solomon nodded. The two magician then turn to the dragon.

"Ars Almadel Salomonis."

Solomon cast his strongest offensive spell. The last thing the Dragon saw is a ray of light before it was obliterated from existence.

-Clock Tower-

Solomon fell onto his comfortable armchair in his office back in their base with Merlin jumping onto a sofa right in front of his desk. Although he only cast a single spell, he is already tired from controlling it so as to not cause more destruction than necessary.

By now their intelligence officer, Sarah Enfield, had begun making a coverup along with their agents in Russia to keep the incident from spreading. It takes a lot of hacking, hypnosis, and lots of trickery to hide such a massive battle.

"Heh, that's a tiresome fight."

Merlin sighs.

"It would've been faster if you just use Excalibur or go all out from the start."

Solomon said. Merlin only stick out his tongue in response. They haven't had such a large incident since almost thirty years ago. Still, although it's large, it's still not as large as that incident in 2062. That was hell. Just remembering it made Solomon shudder. That was the toughest fight in his life and it was a mistake to go alone.

Their organization, the Clock Tower, has been handling these supernatural incidents since its beginning in 1999. Although Clock Tower is only recognized as the national magic school of England in 2043, their history, or specifically the history of their members, had gone back to the time of the Age of Gods and the beginning of the Age of Men.

The core leadership consists of Solomon himself who is publically known as Director Roman, Merlin who is publically known as Arthur Ambrosius, and several other surviving legendary figures from the past. The youngest of them all would be their operator, intelligence officer, hacker, and Solomon's personal secretary who was born in 2017, Sarah Enfield herself.

The normal face of the Clock Tower is a normal magic academy. But behind the scene is a multi-national magic organizations that consists of members with special talents who are trained to respond to supernatural attacks like what they had just done in Siberia. These people are loyal to Solomon instead of their country.

Their members are not many. There are only around three hundred of them around the world and that includes support staff. Their combatants are only a third of that number. But despite their limited number, they have managed to do well against the supernatural threats and kept everything quiet. Sometimes what is needed is quality over quantity. Despite their limited number, all of them are powerful and specially trained.

Solomon sat back and relax. He deserved it after defeating a dragon. Still, he can't keep lazying around forever. There are still things to do. Things to sign and a research to complete. Among all those, finding out why a rift between two worlds was opened is on the top of his to-do list. It's his responsibility after all as the one who started it.

"Speaking of which, did you hear? Yotsuba Miya gave birth to a baby boy a few years ago."

Merlin suddenly spoke from his position on the sofa. He had taken off his robe and is now playing a game on his tablet PC while munching on a potato chip. Typical of him. Though what he just said interested Solomon.

"Yotsuba Miya?"

"Well he's Shiba Miya now. It's just something I heard from Sarah."

Sarah Enfield once again proves to be one of their most valuable member, especially in information. Her capability there is unrivaled.

Solomon felt nostalgia from hearing the name. It is the only good thing that happened from his visit to japan in 2062. He can still remember the faces of the sisters vividly if he closed his eyes, especially the elder sister whom he had saved from her kidnapper.

Merlin grinned. He could guess what Solomon is thinking right now. Which is precisely why he mentioned Yotsuba Miya. Of course, the real subject is not Yotsuba Miya herself. Merlin wouldn't have mentioned the name of a married woman who has a child if Solomon is fond of her. No, Solomon prefers the elder sister, Maya.

"So when will you visit Japan again? You did promise her to come some other time."

"True. Hmm, maybe in a year or two. We still have some more work to do."

"Meh, fair enough. Just don't forget about it."

Solomon chuckled. Suddenly his phone rang. He quickly picked it up.

"Hello?"

'…'

"Ahh, Li!"

Solomon is happy to hear from the leader of their Asia branch. It's been a while since he last spoke to the man. They exchange a few pleasantries and laughs before getting to the subject.

"So what's the call for? Did you happen to get a dragon there or something?"

'…'

"A new recruit candidate?"

'…'

"That's young. Let's just wait another decade. You know our recruitment policy."

'…'

"…care to repeat that again?"

'…'

"What!"

Merlin almost fell from the sofa when Solomon suddenly yelled. There's a grave look on his face as he hear what the Asia branch leader said.

"I understand. I'll handle this myself."

'…'

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, this is personal."

'…'

"Yes, good day to you too."

When the call ended, Solomon did not waste any time and got up from his seat. He went straight to the door. He turn to Merlin before leaving.

"Pack your bags, we're going to Japan."

This is just an experiment. I'm totally drunk when I got this idea. This is based on the irregulars I used in my 'Those Who Fell the Stars'. This is a total AU where I give the middle finger to most of the cannon lore. The story won't start until a few chapters later when Tatsuya join Clock Tower and then return to Japan as part of the Asia branch. This story began when I imagine what would happen when real supernatural creatures actually exists in Mahouka world. I first thought about using DxD as base for the supernatural side but then this happen. So how's it? If anyone want to know a bit more about this madness just pm me. Otherwise just wait for things to reveal itself.